Wordie is a free vocabulary tool for EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers; however, it is also a very useful tool for all teachers. Begin by typing or pasting in text in the provided box. Use up to 1500 characters without registering. Register for free using your email to use unlimited characters. Choose the reading level you want to assign to the text, then click submit. Wordie analyzes the text and provides two boxes with word banks. The first includes vocabulary applicable to that reading level, the second displays included words above that level. Uncheck any boxes next to words you prefer not to include as vocabulary. Use the Print Preview to create a printable including the entire text with vocabulary to learn in a featured word box.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use this site as a useful tool for teaching vocabulary from any text. Copy portions of literature into Wordie to identify and create vocabulary lists for students. Differentiate for student abilities based on reading levels. Use Wordie to develop student writing skills. Ask them to copy their writing into Wordie and run the analysis at a reading level you prefer. If there isn't enough new vocabulary words, challenge students to rewrite in a way that reaches a higher reading level. Use Wordie with ESL/ELL learners to point out difficult vocabulary in reading passages before reading.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2016, opens in Adobe Connect. Create powerful, engaging, and interactive presentations using the latest Microsoft Office add-in for PowerPoint -- Office Mix. Learn to use Office Mix for recording video, screen capturing, adding annotations, making interactive questions and assessments, sharing online and data analytics. You can easily Flip your classroom with Mix while tracking students' understanding. You must attend this session on a laptop or desktop computer that has a full version of Microsoft PowerPoint installed. Additionally, participants MUST download and install the free Office Mix add-in. You will not be able to CREATE Office Mix learning objects on an Android or Apple tablet or via Office 365. You can access and use them on those devices but not create them. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: (1) Learn the basic functions of Microsoft Mix; (2) Explore three different ways to use Microsoft Mix in the classroom; and (3) Plan for the use of Microsoft Mix in the classroom. Remember, it is OK2Ask'® questions at any time! This session is appropriate for teachers at an INTERMEDIATE technology level.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2016, opens in Adobe Connect. Microsoft's Office Online is a completely free, web-based version of Microsoft Office. This online office suite is clearly competing with Google Docs, but it's also a potential replacement for the desktop version of Office. In this workshop, we'll discuss the similarities and differences between Office Online, the desktop version of Microsoft Office and Google Docs. Participants will understand how to use OneDrive for file sharing; OneNote for curating resources and creating portfolios; Excel Survey for data collection, registrations, surveys, and assessment; and Outlook.com for email and calendar. We will also share time-saving ways to make Outlook and Calendar work for you; as well as strategies for staying organized, easily sharing files, and using these tools with your students. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: (1) Understand the differences between features available in the desktop version of Microsoft Office, Office Online, and Google Docs; (2) Explore classroom applications for Excel Survey and OneNote; and (3) Plan for the use of Office Online in the classroom. Remember, it is OK2Ask'® questions at any time! This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2016, opens in Adobe Connect. You and your students can create and share engaging interactive reports, presentations, assignments, projects and more with Sway, a free app from Microsoft Office. This session will introduce Sway as attendees transform an outline to an engaging, modern presentation using Sway, Microsoft's new digital storytelling and presentation app. Create presentations that focus on content rather than bells and whistles. Get up and running within a class period. Sway is accessible on any device, making it a perfect addition to your 1:1 initiative toolbox. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: (1) Learn basic use of the Microsoft Sway tool; (2) Explore three different ways to use Microsoft Sway in the classroom; and (3) Plan for the use of Microsoft Sway in the classroom. Remember, it is OK2Ask'® questions at any time! This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2016, opens in Adobe Connect. Google forms can support classroom instruction AND improve teacher productivity. You can use Google Forms to create surveys and quizzes; collect research data, and plan events. Unlike other "freemium" web-based form tools, Google Forms is completely free and allows for unlimited questions and responses, as well as logic branching. Once completed and shared, recipients can easily fill out and submit their responses. A Google form is automatically connected to a spreadsheet with the same title. When you send or share a form, recipients' responses will automatically be collected in that spreadsheet. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: (1) Explore the features of Google Forms; (2) Discover a variety of uses for Google Forms; and (3) Create a basic Google Form. Remember, it is OK2Ask'® questions at any time! This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2016, opens in Adobe Connect. Explore some of the many tools that Google has to offer. Learn more about using Gmail in the classroom, Google Calendar, Google Drive (including templates and docs/forms), and Google Keep! Other tools including Photos, Google Plus, and Flubaroo will also be explored. A question/answer period will also be available. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: (1) Explore Google Templates, Google Drive, Google Calendar, Keep, and Google Plus and learn a few teaching features; (2) Evaluate selected tools available for use in your curriculum; (3) Explore topics and lesson ideas that could be enhanced using Google Tools; (4) Learn how to leverage available tools in Gmail for increased productivity; and (5) Find solutions to individual questions or practical problems. Remember, it is OK2Ask'® questions at any time! This session is appropriate for teachers at an INTERMEDIATE technology level.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

ScreenShot is free online image editing service. Upload an image from your computer, then use the tools and filters to adjust the photograph as desired. ScreenShot contains basic photo imaging tools for at-home users, as well as more advanced tools for more seasoned photo editors. Choose from many different effects to make your images unique. When finished editing, view the image at the URL provided, download, or share using social networking links.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use this tool anytime you need to edit photos for use on class blogs, wikis, or in presentation tools. In primary grades, this tool can be useful for teachers to use to edit pictures from a field trip, science experiments, and more. Share the editing process with younger students using an interactive whiteboard or projector. Edit together! Encourage older students to use this site themselves on images for projects or presentations. Use this tool in photography or art classes. Use the editor to edit pictures to fit styles of pictures when doing historical reports or to set a mood. Use text options for the photos themselves to tell the stories. Have students annotate or label Creative Commons online images of cells, structures of an animal, and much more.

Ribbet is an online photo editing and sharing site that doesn't require sign-up, download, or installation. Follow prompts to upload images, then use Ribbet's editing tools to crop, resize, and fine tune the photo. Liven-up images with stickers, filters, or create collages and more with Ribbet's additional photo tools. When finished, download the picture to your computer or share to Facebook and photo storage sites using the links provided. Free registration allows users to save images and editing history to Ribbet.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Use Ribbet anytime photos need to be edited on class blogs, wikis, or sites. In primary grades, use this tool to edit pictures from a field trip, science experiments, and more. Share the editing process with younger students using an interactive whiteboard or projector, and edit the project together! Encourage older students to use this tool themselves on images for projects or presentations. Use Ribbet to edit pictures to look "old" when doing historical reports or to set a mood.

Share stories using digital images and Microsoft Photo Story 3 software. Download the software onto your Windows operating system to begin. With Photo Story 3 you can edit images, add effects, soundtracks, and narrate your story. When finished, the small file size allows for easy sharing and viewing.
Although Photo Story 3 is an excellent and useful program, there are several things users need to consider. Photo Story is only compatible with Windows XP operating systems and higher, not on Macs. Windows has not issued updates for the program in several years and has not released a similar product since that time. Consider using similar resources such as Animoto reviewed here or Stupeflix reviewed here as alternative options if needed.

In the Classroom

Photo Story 3 is an excellent way for students to create and share things that they photograph. Challenge students to give oral reports using Photo Story 3 as the visual part of their presentation. Have students take pictures during field trips to use in a Photo Story 3 to display what they saw and learned. Photograph steps of a science experiment. Alternatively, have students search for Creative Commons and Public Domain images to use as part of a slideshow biography about a prominent person in history. Use to tell the story of the water cycle or another process. Create a Photo Story 3 to use for review of classroom topics. Have students create a Photo Story 3 presentation demonstrating learning in any subject area such as Civil War events, different characteristics of animals, etc. Create a slide show for your elementary classroom as part of an informal, sharing presentation. Upload a picture that each student has drawn and have students tell the class about the picture in their own words. What a great way to get young students acclimated to talking in front of a group.

UBC (University of British Columbia) Commons offers several guides for learning and sharing with digital tools. Begin by choosing any guide of interest with topics including how to avoid plagiarism and a guide to properly citating online resources. Each guide provides an excellent description of the topic along with related resources and links. Some include videos and a FAQ section. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Introduce this site on your interactive whiteboard as you share individual topics with students, then create a link on your class website for students to access information at any time. Divide topics among groups of students and have each group create a simple infographic sharing their findings using Easel.ly, reviewed here, or Venngage reviewed here. Create a class wiki with resources for using and crediting online tools. Not comfortable with wikis? Check out the TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through.

Plotbot is a social screenwriting tool. While single writers can use the site, Plotbot is aimed at encouraging collaborative writing and feedback. It includes many social media features designed to offer opportunities to share, comment on, create, and edit elements in the screenplay process. Registration requires an email address, password and a username of one's choosing. Get started in your Sandbox, which is a private mini-screenplay where you can learn how Plotbot works and walk through creating the major elements of the screenplay: the slugline, action, and dialogue. As the project creator, you control what up to fifty collaborators can do on your screenplay in the settings page. If you do have collaborators, the forum is a good place to work out ideas or ask for help. Plotbot projects are publicly viewable by default and searchable unless you select privacy in the settings. A handy feature lets scenes be re-ordered by dropping and dragging. Each account can have two private projects and unlimited public ones. Screenplays can be saved, imported, and downloaded for backup. Be aware that because of the public nature of the site, students may find mature content. It is always best to preview!This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Because of its ease of use, this is a helpful tool for classroom collaboration and learning the basics of screenwriting. The text editor is very basic so discuss with students what elements go into a screenplay. Be aware that because of the public nature of the site, students may find mature content. Students also may collaborate with anyone with a Plotbot account. Have students work together to create a scene or play that can be acted out or reviewed or edited by other students. Navigation can be confusing, especially returning to saved work. A menu on the right-hand side provides actions to choose. A chronological record of activity in each account helps in finding different projects and scenes. Be sure to show students the account and screenplay settings to set preferred privacy and social aspects.

Edulastic provides free assessment tools to track learning and mastery of Common Core Standards and state standards. The program contains more than 2000 customizable assessments with automatic grading capability. Register to create an account, then begin using the assessment library and adding students to your class using a code, emails, or upload a data sheet. Be sure to take advantage of Edulastic's articles, training, and free webinar videos to learn about all the features included with this program. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as KeepVid, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Create and use short quizzes to track mastery of concepts by all students in your class. Use this site to pretest gifted students. If the gifted students already know the material, allow them to advance to another topic. The quick feedback allows greater opportunity to focus on students who need additional help. Use Edulastic to monitor your teaching of Common Core Standards as well as focusing on student proficiency of content. Since student registration is via email, for young students consider using a "class set" of Gmail subaccounts, explained here; this tells how to configure Gmail subaccounts to use for any online membership service. Using Gmail subaccounts will provide anonymous interaction within your class.

Add stickers, filters, frames, and more to images with this free photo editor, no registration required! Begin by choosing to add a frame or open the photo editor. The editor offers all options available such as adding stickers, choosing frames, and adjusting image qualities. When finished, download your image to your computer or share via social networking links.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Usually taking classroom pictures means editing those in some way, and this online photo editor provides many of the options needed plus a few fun effects. Since no registration is required, students can upload a picture, create effects, and save on their computer. Advise students to use pictures that they have permission to alter. Using their own photos is one way to ensure this. Be sure to check your school's acceptable use policy. Students should be aware of how to upload and then find their creation. Use this service anytime pictures are used for classroom projects, lessons, or activities.

Create and share beautiful digital content with Lucidpress. Start at the Educators link to access your FREE educator account. After registering for a free account, follow the prompts to add a document type from the available templates. Short tutorials along the way help guide you on using available features. The easy drag and drop features allow you to personalize flyers, posters, presentations, and more. The free features allow you to include three pages per document and up to 25mb storage; however, signing up as an educator includes access to many more additional features such as team management and up to 5gb storage for your team. This requires signing up with a school email address.

In the Classroom

Have students collaborate on any kind of document using Lucidpress. Users can view, edit, and comment as they work together. The possible uses are only limited by your imagination! Create your own story page for parents and students where they can stay updated about what is happening in your classroom. Have students create a visual story to accompany books read in class, tell about social studies events, or display images for different science terms. Make flyers for upcoming events, to share book reviews, or as campaign posters for class elections.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2016, opens in Adobe Connect. Communicating with students and their parents isn't always the easiest thing to do. Learn to use Edmodo to bridge that gap. Allow students to use Edmodo as a convenient way to contact you if they have questions about an assignment or if they are confused about what is being taught in class. Use of Edmodo can allow you to give individual and group feedback and foster communication between students as they learn to reach out to each other for assistance as well. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, participants will: 1. Learn to use Edmodo to communicate with students individually and in small groups; 2. Use Edmodo to encourage students; and 3. Learn to use Edmodo to communicate with parents and guardians. Remember, it is OK2Ask'® questions at any time! This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2016, opens in Adobe Connect. Explore three online tools that will help you organize your classroom. Discover how organization affects the classroom environment, decreases behavior issues and maximizes learning. Discuss and learn ways to foster organization in the classroom. Use exploration time to discover and discuss how selected resources can be utilized in your classroom. A question/answer period will be available to help with individual questions. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, participants will: (1) Explore tools for classroom organization; (2) Share and collaborate organizational strategies; (3) Find solutions to individual organization struggles; and (4) Delve deeper into an organizational tool shared. Remember, it is OK2Ask'® questions at any time! This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from August 2016, opens in Adobe Connect. No student wants to fail a quiz. Use Google Forms conditional branching to make every student successful on your next quiz. We all know that learners need feedback. To maximize the benefit from that feedback, it should be given immediately -- ideally after each question. Google forms can make that happen. Conditional branching is the ability to send a user to a different question (or a different page of questions) based on the answer the user supplied to a previous question. Wow, that makes your forms so much more functional. It is similar to the old 'choose your own adventure' books we knew and loved as children. Join us and take your Google Form to the next level with branching! As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: 1. Create a Google Form; 2. Use branching to facilitate instant remediation and feedback; and 3. Discuss tips and tricks for the management of forms. Remember, it is OK2Ask''® questions at any time! This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from July 2016, opens in Adobe Connect. What is Flipped Learning? Learn about the basics of flipping the classroom including pros and cons as well as management ideas. Explore 3 tools to use for creating interactive flipped activities. Find resources for assessing, differentiating, and communicating in a Flipped classroom. A question/answer period will be available to help with individual questions. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, participants will: 1. Find resources to investigate and understand Flipped learning environments; 2. Explore apps to help organize students and the content in a Flipped classroom; 3. Review tools that assess students knowledge (both for pretesting and general assessment/feedback); 4. Envision the use of many free tools in the Flipped classroom; and 5. Learn management strategies for an effective Flipped environment. Remember, it is OK2Ask'® questions at any time! This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from July 2016, opens in Adobe Connect. Edmodo is an education-focused social platform that teachers can use to create and maintain a virtual classroom space. This session will introduce the use of the Edmodo snapshot tool and how it can be used for progress monitoring in Language Arts and Mathematics. In addition, participants will learn about a variety of free apps available in Edmodo which take the use of the platform beyond a simple dropbox and discussion board to a comprehensive Learning Management System. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: 1. Learn to use Edmodo Snapshot; 2. Review other ways to use Edmodo for formative assessment; and 3. Learn about 5 apps available inside Edmodo. Remember, it is OK2Ask'® questions at any time! This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional development session from July 2016, opens in Adobe Connect. This hands-on workshop is perfect for teachers who are new to Edmodo or who simply want a refresher. Facilitated by an Edmodo Certified trainer, the session covers how to use Edmodo to connect with and engage students using this free learning management system. The workshop provides an overview of how to join, create and manage groups, use online assignments, quizzes, and polls, as well as share content and access Global communities. Teachers will leave this session with the tools and best practices needed to create strategies around improving classroom instruction and student engagement. As a result of this session and through individual follow-up, teachers will: 1. Create a group in Edmodo; 2. Learn to manage resources in their library; 3. Create an assignment for their group; 4. Understand the organization of the calendar; and 5. Share a resource with their group. Remember, it is OK2Ask''® questions at any time! This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.